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An Australian study in the journal Pediatrics found that children who were given sunflower oil supplements and omega-6 fatty acid-rich margarines and cooking oil during their first five years of life had thicker arterial walls at age 8, while those who were given omega-3 fatty acid supplements and canola-based margarine and cooking oil did not. The researchers said that small babies are more at risk for cardiovascular disease in adulthood and omega-3 fatty acid supplements could protect them against heart attack and stroke.

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Children given omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplements for three months showed improved reading skills, compared with children who took a placebo, researchers reported in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study included 154 third-grade students in Sweden.

The U.K.'s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has cleared the way for Rothamsted Research to grow genetically modified Camelina sativa plants that accumulate omega-3 fatty acids in their seeds. Scientists plan to use the oil from the test crop to boost the omega-3 content of farmed salmon, although the seeds could eventually be used in oils and margarine.

Canadian researchers who reviewed the Sydney Diet Heart Study found that people who substituted safflower oil or safflower oil margarine for saturated fat had lower cholesterol levels but a higher risk of death from heart disease when compared with a control group that did not make dietary changes. Researchers said in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that Health Canada may want to reconsider allowing food labels to state that oils high in omega-6 linoleic acid but low in omega-3 a-linolenic acid, such as safflower oil, may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements does not reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, cardiac or sudden death or all-cause mortality by a statistically significant amount, according to a JAMA study of about 70,000 people. However, the executive director of Global Organization for EPA and DHA said the design of the study was "flawed" and that recommendations against taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements, such as fish oil pills, could harm public health.

Some farm-raised fish such as tilapia and catfish have high levels of unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids and low levels of good omega-3 fatty acids, researchers found. Eating these fish could exacerbate conditions for patients with heart disease.